Reunited
by juliet92490
Summary: A mysterious women pops up in the gangs path. Inuyasha is elated but Sesshomaru seems agitated by her appearance. Can she bring peace between the dog demon brothers or only drive them further apart? [SesshomaruxOC]
1. Chapter 1

"Ugh, Inuyasha! Did you eat all the ramen already?!" Kagome yelled as she rummaged through her yellow back pack. She dropped it unceremoniously on the green grass below her and whirled around to give Inuyasha the dirtiest look she could muster.

Inuyasha's white dog ears flattened against his head, his mind whirring to come up with a decent excuse to stave off the irritated woman's impending exclamation. But he was too late and he heard Kagome suck in sharply before screaming, "SIT BOY!"

The rest of the group sat around the small cooking fire they had started earlier easily ignoring the two's ruckus. As Inuyasha's face slammed into the ground with a crack Sango and Miroku exchanged glances and Shippo did little to hide his giggles.

"Whadya' have to go and do that for!" Inuyasha spat at the woman as he pulled himself out of the crater his body had created.

"I already told you dog-boy, that ramen was supposed to last us for a few weeks. How did you manage to eat all of it so quickly? Now I guess we will be eating some of the left over jerky and potato chips instead," Kagome sighed. She pulled a few bags of chips out and passed them to her companions.

"That's okay Kagome," Miroku placated, offering her a small smile, "These chips are some of my favorite anyway."

"Yes, mine too," Sango chimed in as she popped a chip into her mouth.

The small clearing they had stopped in was lush and green with the early days of spring. A river flowed slowly off to the side with the sunlight bouncing sparkles of light into the over hanging trees beside it. Naraku had been defeated months ago and the jewel destroyed. The world around them seemed to have noticed, looking full and healthy. Birds sang more happily and a peace existed once again that had been squashed with the existence of Naraku.

"I only brought enough things to last me the few weeks I plan to be here," Kagome pointed out. She had returned to the other side of the well for a few months and rejoined her classmates in order to finish her last year of middle school. Missing her friends she had decided to pack up and hop back into the Feudal Era until her high school classes started. Since her return they had been traveling the countryside helping neighboring villages and defeating any demons they came across.

"Feh," Inuyasha huffed,"Maybe you shouldn't have told me you brought so much, stupid."

Kagome shot him a glare, just daring him to continue. He quickly backed down when he saw her mouth open slightly, preparing to send his face right back into the crater he had just managed to pull himself out of moments ago. Before he could call for a truce, rumbling was heard from a distance. The ground trembled faintly and birds flew over the group's heads as their nests were disturbed.

"What in the world could that be?" Sango asked, glancing to Inuyasha.

"I don't know but we should probably check it out," he responded, already standing and extinguishing the fire. Miroku nodded to him as he and Sango mounted Kirara and rose into the air.

Kagome gathered their food and stuffed it back into her bag, hopping onto the half demon's back. Inuyasha took off into a sprint following along the path of the river. After a few minutes of running along it's path the river became slightly wider and he could see a lake ahead. The trees thinned out and a large field came into view. Kagome gasped at the sight before them.

A massive white dog growled deeply at a group of bear demons that encircled it. The bear demons paled in size compared to the large beast but the smaller demons continued to attack it anyway.

"Is that Sesshomaru?" Miroku questioned.

"Who else could it be," Sango said, glancing down to Inuyasha,"We've never seen any other dog demons around here and we are relatively far from Sesshomaru's lands."

Inuyasha stared at the shaggy white dog, confusion in his eyes. He breathed in deeply and immediately recognized the scent that invaded his nose. "Runa!" he shouted, unceremoniously dropping Kagome to the ground. He ran forward into the battle, pulling Tessaiga from it's sheath. "Stay back!" he called to his friends.

"What is he doing?" Kagome cried, rising to her feet. She hadn't recognized the name Inuyasha had shouted before dropping her but it seemed he somehow knew the dog demon currently swatting at the bears below it.

"I guess that's not Sesshomaru," Shippo commented as he hopped onto Kagome's shoulder.

Kiara landed next to them and let Miroku and Sango jump down before shrinking and jumping into Sango's waiting arms. "I suppose not," Miroku replied, holding his chin in his recently curse freed hand.

Inuyasha swung his massive sword towards two of the larger bear demons and they disintegrated before even noticing the half demon had entered their battle. Realizing they had a new enemy, five of the remaining 9 demons turned towards him, rushing him angrily. The white dog took this opportunity to swipe one bear and then crush another with it's gigantic paws. But suddenly through the tree lines another bear broke though. This one however easily matched the dog's size as it rushed it with full force. Their bodies clashed with a deafening crunch and the canine's shoulder went limp as it gave out a piercing yelp. Inuyasha swirled around, destroying three more smaller bears with a swing of his sword.

"RUNA!" Inuyasha yelled, running towards the new attacker with full force. But before he could distract the newcomer with his presence another demon aura hit his senses and he faltered slightly.

From above, a growl rumbled through the sky while another dog demon rushed towards the battle. It's body plowed into the bear demon, slamming it to the ground and taking it's neck into it's great jaws. Poisonous saliva dripped down and seeped through the bears brown fur causing it to grunt in pain. Inuyasha watched as the demon he knew to be his brother twisted the neck of the bear and snapped it. The bear went limp, its body falling to the ground, shaking the earth and toppling trees.

Still taken aback by his brother's sudden appearance it took Inuyasha a moment to notice the first dog demon had shrunk down into a humanoid form. Sesshomaru had already beat him to the limp body and now cradled it in his newly regenerated left arm.

"Is that a woman?" Kagome asked, her eyes going wide as she watched Sesshomaru brush a strand of long white hair out of the female's face.

"Get away from her you fucking bastard!" Inuyasha demanded running towards the pair. He came to a short stop beside the two and gritted his teeth, clenching his fist.

Sesshomaru ignored his little brother, watching as the female opened her eyes to reveal emerald iris's shining back into his own amber.

"Big brother?" she whispered, reaching a thin, pale hand up to his face and letting her index finger trace his magenta markings.

"Big brother?" Inuyasha's friends said in unison, jaws dropping open at not only the mysterious woman's words, but her ease of contact with Sesshomaru.

Becoming aware of their audience, the girl snapped her head to the side and caught sight of the half demon beside her.

"Little brother?" she called, pushing herself from Sesshomaru and into Inuyasha's arms. He held onto her tightly while he took in her scent. She was exactly as he recalled her.

"Runa," he said gently, hugging her tightly before pulling away to look into her green eyes. He took in her appearance, which hadn't changed much since he had last seen her. Silvery white hair hung slightly below her curvy hips, longer bangs framing her thin face until they melted into the rest of her longer tresses.

"Ouch," she whimpered, suddenly grasping her injured shoulder,"I forgot that asshole crashed into me," she lamented. "I haven't seen you in so long Inuyasha. I heard you had been freed from your tree and had a hand in defeating Naraku," she said, cupping his face with the hand from her uninjured arm.

"Me and my friends did, yeah," he replied softly, glancing back towards the still astounded group. They had been watching the exchange in shock, confused by her words. Inuyasha had never mentioned having a sister, but the silver hair on her head was very similar to his and his brother's. Runa's eyes followed his glace back to his waiting friends and she gave them a small wave. They all waved back at the same time with dumbfounded looks and open mouths.

"Where do you think you're going?" Inuyasha suddenly spat as he noticed his older sibling turning and walking away from them. Sesshomaru ignored him and continued walking into the clearing ahead. "Why the hell are you even near this area?" Inuyasha questioned further, though he suspected he wouldn't get an answer.

"Big brother?" Runa whined, sadness over taking her fair features.

Sesshomaru paused before responding to her gentle whimper as he jumped into the air in a white light,"Don't you think we have grown a bit old for such pretending, Runa? I am not your brother."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Kagome and crew waited eagerly outside Kaede's hut. Inuyasha had decided to run ahead with Runa on his back so he could get to the old healer as quickly as possible. Though she was a full demon he had still insisted on getting her checked out and letting her rest as soon as possible. Kagome had remained tight lipped and simply nodded to Inuyasha when he told her he wanted to rush back without them. Without her.

She couldn't help but feel a little abandoned by her boyfriend. Their relationship was still new, having just come to exist officially after Naraku's demise. Kagome found this new female slightly threatening, especially when Inuyasha had offered zero explanation as to who she actually was. Sesshomaru had said quite blatantly that this Runa woman was not his sister. Yet the fact she was full demon ruled her out as Inuyasha's sister as well. If she and Sesshomaru didn't share a father, then she couldn't share Inuyasha's mother either.

 _Just who the heck is this chick_ Kagome thought bitterly. She really didn't like being left behind without answers.

"Ye may come in now," Kaede said, bringing Kagome from her thoughts. The old priestess pulled back the hanging door of the hut to reveal Inuyasha and Runa sitting together against the back wall.

The group wandered in, each taking a seat on the floor of the dwelling, and looked to Inuyasha questioningly. He quickly caught onto their curious stares and looked to Runa.

"I guess you guys are probably confused..." he trailed off while rubbing the back of his head.

"You could say that."

"Definitely."

"Only completely."

"Well, are you going to clear up the confusion, Inuyasha?" Miroku questioned. His eyes went to the beautiful female beside his companion. She wore a pale pink kimono with darker shaded cherry blossoms floating across the fabric. A dark yellow obi tied the piece together, though he couldn't help but notice the front dipped a good bit lower than a traditional kimono typically would, showing off a bit of the female's cleavage. A sharp slap to his head brought him back from his thoughts.

"Don't even think about it, monk," Sango said hotly, her eyes closed in frustration as she lowered her hand.

"I don't know what you mean my lovely Sango," he sang out, flashing a smile. Sango rolled her eyes and turned to Inuyasha ready to hear what he had to say.

"We didn't get a proper introduction yesterday," Runa said before Inuyasha could say anything,"I'm Runa."

"And you're Inuyasha's sister?" Kagome asked, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

"Well, not exactly," the demon responded sheepishly. "I grew up under his father's care. When he passed, I would often check in on Izayoi and Inuyasha. Sometimes I stayed for years at a time. I watched Inuyasha grow up. I considered Inu no Taisho to be a father figure, and as such, Inuyasha a brother. But we are in no way blood relatives," she explained.

Kagome let herself relax upon hearing the explanation but quickly asked the question that seemed to be on everyone's mind. "So you aren't Sesshomaru's sister either, but grew up with him?"

Runa paused slightly before continuing with her answer,"Yes, I did. We have known each other since we were quite young. We trained together and received our education together. I have actually been living with Lady Mother the past few decades."

"You've been staying with Sesshomaru's mother?!" Inuyasha interjected, his mouth hanging wide in shock.

"Yes," Runa whispered, her brows crinkling,"You could almost say it was due to Lady Mother that I found myself in yesterday's predicament."

"What do you mean by that, Runa?" Miroku asked with a concerned tone.

"I was betrothed to that bear demon, the one my lord killed," she explained, referring to Sesshomaru. "His name was Daichi and he was a pretty powerful demon. I was previously betrothed to another demon but due to his wanderlust our engagement was cancelled. Lady Mother felt Daichi would be a good back up. I disagreed," she said firmly with a hard look in her eyes. "He wasn't a very nice man and I just couldn't imagine mating and marrying someone like him. I never cared about living in grandeur, but Lady Mother bargained my hand for quite the little dowry."

"Wouldn't she have been paying your new husband the dowry though?" Sango wondered, giving Runa a confused look.

"Normally, yes, but I am of higher birth than Daichi. It was an honor for Lady Mother to even consider him a suitor on my behalf. He offered her quite the sum in order to steal me away. She always has liked the finer things," Runa scoffed. "She will be quite vexed when she learns of yesterday's events. I probably won't be welcome back home now," she closed with a sigh.

"You can stay here," Inuyasha offered,"We have plenty of room in our village and can always use the extra help protecting it. Things have calmed down a lot since Naraku but the odd demon still comes here and there."

"That is a kind offer ye make, Inuyasha," Kaeda nodded in agreement. "I am getting older and would not mind a little extra help. Especially now that young Rin is staying with me. I cannot keep up with the young one's energy, but I am sure ye can," the priestess pointed out.

"RIN?" the group shouted, save for Runa who had no idea who Rin was.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru brought her to stay with me. She needs to experience life with her own kind. Lord Sesshomaru has left her in my care until such a time as she can make the decision on whether or not she wants a life with humans or him," Kaede explained.

Runa perked up at these words. "You mean Lord Sesshomaru has had a human girl in his care?" she asked incredulously.

"Aye, she's down by the river now. The child needs some time to adjust to her new home," the old woman responded.

Runa looked away, lost in her thoughts. She remembered there being a rumor around the castle that Sesshomaru had showed up with two human children in tow, but Lady Mother had insisted they were just rumors and nothing more. Clearly she hadn't wanted anyone to know it was indeed the truth. Runa couldn't imagine Sesshomaru traveling with a human, let alone a female child. It was completely out of character for him.

Realizing she had yet to respond to the kind offer she had just been made, Runa brought her head back up to face her new friends.

"It's so kind of you to offer, Priestess. I'd be very thankful and happy to stay and assist you with both this Rin girl and anything the village needs. Plus, it gives us a chance to catch up big time, right Inuyasha?" she shot him a smile.

Runa spent the next few days building a small add on to Kaede's hut for herself. She didn't want to crowd the older woman, especially since she already had her initial new guest staying with her. Once she met Rin she couldn't understand why Sesshomaru had kept the child around. Rin was bright, optimistic, and kind. Everything that Sesshomaru wasn't really.

Maybe he had changed.

But Runa just couldn't imagine that to be the case at all.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you sure you don't mind helping me, Lady Runa?" Rin asked, an unsure look upon her face while Runa scrubbed laundry with her in the river.

Runa smiled at the young girl. She was only around eleven and still had so much hope about the world. It had been two weeks since they both had come to this tiny little village. Both girls thrust into a new home they knew nothing about and were painfully unfamiliar with. Rin was used to traveling in open fields and forests while foraging for her own food. She bathed in the open with no fear of others seeing her body. Demons her only companions for the last few years.

Rin's counterpart was used to the finer things in life. Runa typically stayed within the castle of Lady Mother while feeding on fine meats hunted for her by others. She took warm baths in large beautiful clawed foot tubs behind thick drawn curtains. Her companions were ladies in waiting, all hoping to learn from Lady Mother and get matched with rich, powerful demons.

But Runa would have much preferred to be outside in the open air, alone, free from the expectations pushed onto her. When she was abandoned as a pup Lord Inu no Taisho had stepped in, rescuing her from the elements, and bringing her into his home to be raised as one of his own. She had been just a few decades old, no more than 6 or 7 in the human equivalent of age. Suddenly, she went from living in the woods to being surrounded by servants, waiting on her hand and foot. She was taught a wide variety of subjects ranging from reading and writing to sword play. But despite that, she would still sneak off into the night to run in the fields surrounding the large home. Her small puppy form bounding through the forest hunting small game.

Living in the village was a cruel middle ground between the two worlds. No hot baths anywhere in sight, meager food, full of people yet still leaving a feeling of being alone. But Runa decided she would enjoy this opportunity as a learning experience coupled with spending time with Inuyasha. Decades had passed while he remained pinned to the tree in the forest the village aptly named after him. Runa snorted slightly to herself. Like father, like son. Both falling for human women who ultimately destroyed them. Inuyasha was lucky he had simply remained in some kind of purgatory before the little miko named Kagome rescued him.

"Lady Runa, you may be scrubbing a little hard. You will put a hole in your kimono," Rin said loudly, cutting into Runa's thoughts. Runa looked down to the simple blue kimono she held against the washboard and noticed Rin was right. The fabric had been thinning out the entire time she had been reflecting on her past.

"Oh darn," the demon woman muttered. "Thank you, Rin. You just saved one of the few items of clothing I have," she said with an awkward laugh.

"It's no problem, my lady. We should head back though. I think Lady Kagome is expecting us to help her with dinner," the little girl pointed out.

Runa nodded and began gathering their wet clothes and throwing them in a basket she had brought down to the riverside. She knew she'd be pinning up both their laundry as the line was too high for little Rin to reach. They began walking back to the village along a rugged little dirt path, worn down by all the foot traffic.

"Uhm Lady Runa? May I ask you a question?" Rin asked quietly, watching her feet move along the path. She glanced nervously to the older woman. before turning her eyes away again.

"Of course, Rin," Runa replied, wondering what the girl could possibly be so nervous about.

"Are you mad at Lord Sesshomaru? Like everyone else here always is?"

Taken aback, Runa wasn't sure how to respond. From what Inuyasha had told her Sesshomaru wasn't well liked in Inuyasha's group. He had attacked them several times, even losing an arm over both his selfish pride and his inability to let go. Mad wouldn't be the right term to use for her feelings for Sesshomaru. They had a long history. She considered him family, though he had made it clear he didn't consider her such.

"Currently, I feel indifferent. So to answer your question, no, I'm not mad. Why would you worry over such a thing anyway?" she wondered.

Rin sighed, "I'm the only one who likes him it seems," she mumbled.

Suddenly Rin stopped, her head shooting up towards the sky. "It's him! He's back!" she yelled, dropping her basket and running towards the hut they shared with Kaede.

Runa kept her pace steady, her mind whirling. She hadn't expected to see the lord quite so soon. He seemed to care for the the small child who currently was waiting for him to land. She found it so strange. She had known him her entire life and while he had his moments, he wasn't someone who put effort into caring for people, let alone showing them he cared. And if he happened to slip up and show a person his emotions, he eventually messed it up. She snorted at the thought but quickly went stone faced as he landed to the ground before Rin. Runa absentmindedly picked up the girl's forgotten laundry basket, attempting to juggle both Rin's and her own as she walked towards them.

"Oh my lord, I'm so glad to see you have returned!" Rin shouted, twirling around in front of Sesshomaru while giggling. Sesshomaru simply placed his hand on her head as he stared into her eyes. But as Runa approached he pulled his hand away and watched her, no expression on his face.

"Rin, this is for you," he said handing her a small box, "take it and go see the priestess."

Smiling, Rin gave a curt nod and ran off, leaving the two silver haired demons alone in the middle of the dirt path. Runa's body tightened with awkwardness, continuing to walk, unsure if she should stop and even speak to the man.

Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Glancing over her shoulder she saw him following her back to the hut. Annoyed, she stopped short and turned around, staring him down and flaring her aura. Unfazed, Sesshomaru met her gaze, coming to a stop in front of her. After remaining still, eyes locked, he plucked the extra basket she carried, and brought it into his own arms. Taken aback, Runa's eyebrows raised, but she chose to remain silent. Instead, she swiveled around and continued walking, him joining and falling in line with her small stride.

"Do you intend to stay in this abominable hovel hole?" he asked quietly, never glancing to her.

Eyes forward, she swiftly answered his question with an accusation. "If it's such an abominable little hole then why did you leave Rin here to be raised by the humans you claim to hate?"

She could feel him bristle beside her but he immediately returned to his blank demeanor. Ahead, more huts came into view. Seeing their journey was nearly at an end the male demon stopped. Runa followed suit, turning towards him, waiting for him to speak. A minute passed. Then another. And another. Was he really just going to stand here in silence and stare at her? Getting impatient she started to turn away but the sound of his deep, masculine voice stopped her in her tracks.

"What I choose to do with my ward is none of your concern," Sesshomaru pointed out.

Runa snorted,"It is when I seem to be her current caretaker, _my lord_ ," she spat back.

She could tell Sesshomaru was refraining from lashing out at her, though she wasn't sure why he would hold back.

"I left her with the elderly priestess. If you choose to step in that is not my hindrance, but yours."

"I see you haven't changed a bit, Lord Sesshomaru," Runa complained loudly. "Did you come here to be snarky or to visit your ward? If you'll excuse me, I have more _important_ things to do."

"I would watch your tone little female. Before I put you in your place."

Runa's eyes widened in surprise. She sucked in a breath reminding herself of who exactly she was talking to. Sesshomaru was the most powerful demon in the west, possibly in all four corners of these lands, and he never hesitated to kill someone who crossed his path.

"I no longer have any place, Sesshomaru," she whispered. Not waiting for a response, she grabbed Rin's basket from his hands and stomped off.

Rin was bounding towards her, appearing to wear a new necklace from the stoic lord.

Runa turned to her as she walked past and said, " **Now** I'm mad at him!"

With a confused look, Rin whipped around to watch her stalk past her.

What had happened while she opened her gift?

Rin decided then and there, she had to fix Runa and Lord Sesshomaru's friendship.


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so happily surprised at the reviews, follows, and favorites! It really pushed me to get another chapter out as soon as I could. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"Lord Sesshomaru, may I ask you something?" Rin asked with a pleading look in her large chocolate eyes. She and Sesshomaru had taken a walk after Runa's outburst towards him and he seemed agitated. At least, Rin could tell he was, even if no one else would have been able to at the moment. Over the years she had gotten to know the demon's behavior quite well. He may not show his feelings often but he had a few tiny tells to give them away. Rin took his silence as a yes and pressed forward. "You and Lady Runa.. you were once friends? Why has the friendship soured, my lord?"

Sesshomaru looked across to Rin and regarded her round face, attempting to hide his annoyance. This was not a subject he cared to discuss with anyone but especially not Rin. He laid his arm across his knee as he reclined against a tree near the same river where Rin and Runa had just been washing clothes. His ward sat across from him braiding flowers together in chains. He watched her weave the delicate stems together, in and out, almost mindlessly. She had done this more times than he could count over the years and yet never seemed to tire of it. Rin suddenly looked up from her work, watching him for signs he planned to answer her question.

Noticing, Sesshomaru shifted and looked into the distance behind her. "We went in different directions." His answer didn't seem to satisfy his ward but he stood, signaling the conversation to be over. "Rin. Go back to the village. I will return tomorrow." Without another word he jumped into the air, leaving the girl behind, to continue pondering his relationship with Runa.

Rin gathered her things and the ten or so flower crowns she had put together and began the walk back towards the village. Along her route to her hut she would hand them out to the smaller girls and watch their faces light up with happiness. Perhaps she could gift one to Lady Runa and improve the woman's mood. As she came upon the hut she now shared with the female dog demon she heard soft voices emanating from within. Curious, Rin stepped closer to the door, pressing her eye to the crack of the flap. Immediately recognizing Inuyasha's gruff voice, she pushed the flowers in front of her body, hoping they would mask her scent. She pivoted her head to get a better look inside.

"Feh, you just said earlier you were pissed at him! Why are you asking me to be on better terms with him suddenly? He's nothing but a big asshole and I don't want to 'make peace'," Inuyasha huffed. "He has tried to kill me. Kill Kagome. At some point he's tried to kill everyone in our group. I'm still not convinced he won't bust in here and try to steal my sword again." Inuyasha crossed his arms and turned away from Runa, his scowl deepening.

"You are family, you idiot. Family doesn't always get along, or like each other, but I know there must be some kind of familial feelings deep down somewhere in both of your hearts. I think he's an insufferable, arrogant dog of a man, but I still feel strongly that you two could have a better relationship if you'd just try," Runa pleaded, her hand touching Inuyasha's forearm gently. She gave him a smile.

"Ha! Like that guy even has a heart! You've really lost your marbles. This is one time you really need to just mind your own damn business and stay outta mine because it will just cause a fight between us," Inuyasha spat, shrugging her hand off his arm and standing up. "I think Rin is looking for you."

Rin jumped back just in time as Inuyasha all but kicked the cloth door of the hut to the side and stormed out. She blushed, realizing he knew she had been there, which meant the lady most likely did as well. Hesitantly, she entered the hut and looked down to see Runa was still sitting down, her eyes shut, a frown wrinkling her fair face. "Are you alright, my lady?" Rin asked gently, setting her things down and coming to sit beside her new friend.

"Yes, I should have been more prepared to get that response than I was. I suppose I just try to be positive so I put the possibility of upsetting Inuyasha that much out of my mind. It's always bothered me how fractured they are, especially for brothers. They are so lucky to still have living family. They are being selfish brats, wasting the opportunity," Runa lamented with a sigh. "They are all I have really. Since my family is gone. I know you of all people understand, Rin," she said with a half smile, patting Rin's hand.

Rin nodded and looked away. Jaken and Lord Sesshomaru had been her only family after her parents' and siblings' deaths. If she hadn't found Lord Sesshomaru that fateful day she would have most likely remained homeless, beaten, and tortured by the other villagers. She could understand her new friend's determination to fix the brother's bad blood because she felt the same way about fixing her lord's friendship with Runa. "My lady," she started, feeling nervous but deciding to push ahead anyway,"Could the same not also apply to you and Lord Sesshomaru? You were friends once, you should be again," she pointed out with a big smile and hopeful nod.

"Hm, well Sesshomaru and I were a lot of things besides friends. We were fellow students, fierce competitors, each other's confidants even," Runa snorted as she thought about their past lessons as children.

"Competitors?" Rin asked, feeling confused.

"Yes, we hated losing to one another. Both too stubborn for such things," the demon explained, suddenly feeling herself falling back into time, remembering one of their biggest moments of rivalry.

 _Runa marched into the field, a confident smirk on her lips. She looked over to Sesshomaru who wore a mask of complete suave calm. His face was unreadable as he pulled his sword from his hip. It glinted in the sun, blinding Runa briefly. She rolled her eyes. Another one of his tactics to intimidate her and throw her off her game. Their instructor stepped between them._

 _"A fair fight, the first to draw blood, wins," he told his students. He stepped out of the way quickly, already knowing their competitive nature with one another would make this a vicious fight. He begrudged Inu no Taisho telling them the victor would receive a big prize for winning._

 _Runa steadied herself, drawing her two short swords and moving her body into a battle stance. The instructor waved his hand and Sesshomaru was immediately rushing at her. But she knew he would. He was painfully predictable in some of his fighting moves. He could never be patient and build suspense, always jumping right to the kill. She dodged him, quickly pivoting back to make sure she kept eyes on him at all times. Sesshomaru rushed her again, but this time, she met him with full force, catching the swing of his sword in between her own. He growled at her, bringing his face as close to her own as he could as they pushed against one another's weapons with all their might. Runa gave him a teasing smile before pushing off and flipping backwards to escape their locked position._

 _"If you want me," she called mockingly,"then come and get me!" Runa waited for her opponent to rush her, as she knew he would, and then jumped high into the sky, to the right. Sesshomaru followed. She dodged right again, and again, effectively leading the male in a circle. He was so dense, she thought. She was simply tiring him out and he was too dumb to notice. Without warning, she felt a force like a ton of rocks smash into her from the left. She plummeted to the ground, hitting hard. Realizing she got distracted by her thoughts, and therefore caught, she hopped back up before Sesshomaru could touch her again. Looking behind her, she caught his smug expression and felt anger bubble up in her chest._

 _Swirling around, she could feel her long white braid whip behind her head. She pointed her swords at Sesshomaru and charged. Grinning, he followed suit, meeting her in the middle. Sesshomaru was shocked, however, when in one swift movement, the girl knocked his sword neatly out of his hand and threw her own to the ground with it. She punched his jaw hard with a right hook. Feeling dazed for a moment, he shook his head, trying to clear the immediate ache that creeped along his jaw line. But Runa gave him no moment to recover and swiftly kicked his left hip, nearly knocking him over. Regaining his balance, Sesshomaru swiped at her with his long claws, tempted to let his poison seep out and hit her snowy skin._

 _His claws just barely missed her abdomen. As he prepared to strike again, Runa slammed into him, throwing them both to the ground. They struggled, each attempting to over power the other. Sesshomaru pushed his body weight into Runa until he tipped them over, pinning her beneath him. She lifted her head in defiance, briefly exposing her pale neck to him. Sesshomaru bent down to her ear, whispering, "You will never defeat me. You are a girl child, and I, I am the Lord of the West."_

 _"Not yet you arent!" she scoffed loudly, shoving her hands against his muscular chest. Sesshomaru roared, using his knees to crush her thighs down into place. His face hovered above hers as they frowned at one another, their brows drawn down in complete concentration. But eventually a voice broke through._

 _"Stop it! Draw! It's a draw! DRAW!" their instructor screamed at the top of his longs. Both his students froze, their heads swiveling around to look at him. Sesshomaru looked confused but Runa immediately knew why their fight had been stopped. They had gotten so carried away they had stopped paying attention to their actions. Runa had even bared her neck to him! Completely mortified, she used Sesshomaru's confusion to push him away and scamper to the other side of the field._

 _She could see the same conclusion reach Sesshomaru's brain as he turned away from her, almost ashamed._

 _Their compeitition had allowed them to get **too** carried away. The two demons spent the next two weeks avoiding each other._

Rin blinked in awe at Runa's story. "So why was baring your neck to Lord Sesshomaru such a big deal?"

Runa looked away, pink flushing her cheeks. "It means you submit to the dominant male. We had just come into mating age. It was all very inappropriate," she explained.

"Oh," Rin nodded in understanding. "Did you ever consider mating Lord Sesshomaru?" she inquired, knowing she was probably pushing her luck with so many questions. Rin heard the other woman let out a strangled cough while her face burned red.

"I think I hear Sango calling for us Rin. We better go!" the woman screeched, pulling Rin to her feet and out of the hut.

As she was being dragged along to Sango's home, Rin couldn't help but wonder why Runa had started acting so strangely. She'd have to get to the bottom of it.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Runa strolled out of the village and down to the tree Inuyasha had been pinned to for fifty years. He had been successfully avoiding her since their disagreement but Runa didn't mind. Now that she had come into contact with him again she felt they had plenty of time to reacquaint with each other and build their bond as strong as it once was. After yesterday she felt she needed some space from everyone anyway. Her discussion with Rin had caused her to remember her past life with Sesshomaru, before things became complicated. His father was alive and well, his mother still living with them, and they were simply two children growing and learning together. Once Inu no Taisho had found Izayoi everything had changed, none of it for the better, other than the birth of Inuyasha.

Runa leaned against the trunk of the tree, a sad smile forming on her lips as she recalled the great demon lord. He had been an interesting man. Full of life and love. He was gentle, thoughtful, and giving. When he had found her, he had never hesitated to whisk her away to his home and make it hers as well. His mate had been quite shocked as he walked into the great hall of their home, pushing forward a young demon girl who tried hiding behind his leg in uncertainty. She had stared at him for a moment before merely shrugging. She let him do as he pleased. But while he treated her like the daughter he never had, his wife viewed Runa as a pawn. One she could mold into a perfect little doll to be used on a whim as she saw fit. Inu no Taisho shielded her from it as much as possible but upon his death there was no one to stand in Kimiko's way. And Runa felt she owed the demon woman for being willing to take her in and provide for her, even after her mate's death. Runa had stayed with Inuyasha and his mother here and there but when Inuyasha grew up and went out on his own she returned to Kimiko, ready to continue her training in being the 'perfect' lady. Other noble families sent their daughters to learn from the woman, and for a pretty penny too. But she now saw that was an incredibly stupid choice. It's how she had ended up engaged, not once, but twice.

' _Look how well that turned out for me,'_ Runa thought bitterly. She should have followed in Sesshomaru's footsteps and avoided the intense demon woman on a permanent basis. Sesshomaru disappeared for years, only to resurface when he needed help with his damned sword. Runa had stayed out of sight for that particular situation. She was so taken aback by his sudden appearance she didn't know how to react, so she figured hiding was the best option. Not that he had sought her out or even seemed to be interested in seeing how she was at all. Bastard. But despite some of her more negative feelings towards him, he still held a special place in her heart. Dog demon children were somewhat rare, their breed was slowly dying out. Growing up, it had been just the two of them in the palace like home of his father and mother. A soft crunch of leaves brought Runa from her reverie and she pushed off the trunk of the large tree, turning to see who was interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh, it's only you," she commented blandly, watching Sesshomaru's slow gait as he approached. He came to a stop in front of her and she leaned back against the tree, looking away. She still felt annoyed over their previous conversation. After a few moments of silence, both of them standing still as statues, she sighed. He made everything so awkward and difficult. "What do you want, Sesshomaru?"

"You ran away from our discussion. I simply wish to finish it," he explained. Runa could feel his golden orbs bearing down on her but she continued to avoid his gaze.

"I didn't run away from it. The matter is closed. Nothing left to say, so just go ahead and be on your way," she replied, already feeling angry at him. He expected her to just go home? For one, she had just started to reconnect with Inuyasha, two, she was pretty sure his mother was pissed that she blew her engagement to the bear demon.

"The matter is only closed when I say it is closed," he bit out venomously, "You belong at my mother's palace. She will wonder why you have not returned."

"She'll know why I didn't come back. I messed up. I know it. She knows it. I'm not going back because I'm not going to be welcomed back. Do you really think she's going to welcome me home with open arms and a sympathetic pat on the back?" Runa asked him, her eyes finally meeting his. "She was going to benefit from my marriage and I spoiled it. You know how she is, better than anyone. She doesn't take kindly to anyone ruining her chess board."

"She continues to treat you as one of her pawns," Sesshomaru stated, rather than asked, lowering regally into a sitting position on her right, against the tree. He sat in his usual position, one knee bent, with his arm coming to rest on his knee.

Runa looked down to him, shifting her body to see him more comfortably. He seemed to be contemplating something but she couldn't be sure of what exactly. "Nothing's changed, brother. Did you expect it to?"

"I am not your brother," Sesshomaru reiterated, his eyes meeting hers. He tired of the childhood habit. They had never been siblings. His parents had never treated them as such and the girl only referred to him that way as a joke initially. Eventually it had turned into a term of endearment between them but now hearing the words from her lips left a bitter taste in his mouth. Perhaps from guilt, he mused. But he was the mighty Lord of the West, he would not dwell on the past, nor would he allow the girl to remind him of the friendship they once had or the promises he broke. He had long ago put those feelings behind him.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Sesshomaru."

"And yet, you continue to call this one by a false term," he bit out. "Go back, Runa." Sesshomaru didn't bother to meet her fiery gaze as he ordered her departure, but instead looked straight ahead with an empty expression.

"So your mother can use me as a puppet for yet another scheme?" Runa yelled out, waving her hand in the air. "Why do you so desperately want me to go back anyway? I don't see how it would affect you one way or another at this point. You left a long time ago. Had better things to do," she said between clenched teeth. The demon was pushing her to her limit now. She didn't understand his insistence that she go back. While she appreciated the training and home his mother had provided her, she was too tired of being dragged around by Kimiko's expectations and plans. She had gotten hurt enough the first time Kimiko's plans went awry and after the most recent failing, she didn't care to do it again. She had stayed hoping she would find some kind of happiness, but so far, that hope was dying out. "I want more Sesshomaru. The longer I'm there the more I realize I'm just not meant to be a perfect little noblewoman who does as her husband says. I'm intelligent, strong, and powerful too. I don't need to be married off and 'secure my station in life' as your mother says. I can secure a station all on my own. Kagome told me in her time women do anything they want. They marry a man of _their_ choosing. Maybe when I was a child, even just a few years ago, finding a good match was important to me. I was taught from the beginning that marriage and babies were priority number one. But I don't think it's what I want at all. I want to fall in love. Marry who I please, whether they are a powerful demon lord or a poor beggar on the street. I want freedom!"

Runa's chest heaved in heavy breaths, finishing her tirade had sucked the air from her lungs. Trying to relax, she slumped against the tree trunk more, not bothering to glance down to Sesshomaru in case he was grimacing at her. She was tired of feeling like she owed anyone a damn explanation for her choices. Things she thought mattered so much, now seemed small in comparison to what really mattered to her. Growing up she was taught that her life could only go one way. She was starting to see the light and feeling different down to her very core. She tried not to take Sesshomaru's silence personally. She knew how he was, despite how often she let his personality raise her blood pressure. She watched him stand up out of the corner of her eye. But before the demon could open his mouth the pair heard yells coming from the village.

With a glance to one another, they both took off running. With their demon speed they reached the village in a few brief moments. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Rin all stood in a group in front of a completely serene village. Sesshomaru wandered over towards Rin who reached for him quietly. She looked incredibly unsettled and nervous. Runa gazed at Sango, "Why the yelling? You all look as if you've seen a ghost. What's the matter?"

Miroku stepped towards her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "It's Inuyasha, Runa. When Sango and I came back from seeing Kagome off at the well, Inuyasha was being attacked. But he wasn't moving. He stood there blankly.. as if hypnotized."

Runa twisted around, throwing a glance in all directions, attempting to feel Inuyasha's aura in the vicinity but nothing was there. "Where is he? I can't sense him nearby. Is he.. is he.. dead?" she choked out, her heart sinking. Feeling a presence at her side, she looked up to see Sesshomaru standing close to her, though he remained silent. Runa sniffed, suddenly getting the feeling he was attempting to be comforting to her.

"The demon was almost like a shadow, it had no face," Sango explained, crossing her arms across her chest, her eyes closing as she remembered the fearsome creature. "Whatever it was, bent his arms and legs, snapping them. He just stood there like he couldn't move. His face didn't even flinch when it broke his limbs. It was terrible," she choked before Miroku took her into his arms.

"We have to go get him!" Runa yelled. She turned to Sesshomaru giving him an expectant look.

"What do you expect me to do about the half-breed's abduction? I have no interest in saving him," he bit out coldly.

"Come after him with us Sesshomaru. There's no way to know what exactly we are dealing with and I'm sure having both you and I to go up against it will insure we rescue Inuyasha- and don't call him a half-breed!" she replied. She had stepped close enough to Sesshomaru to see his nostrils flare in agitation. He stood silently, ignoring her desperate plea until an idea struck her. "I'll go back," she told Sesshomaru. "I'll go back home if you promise to help save Inuyasha."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly, surprised by her bargaining chip. She had been so adamant she would not return home and yet she was willing to do so just to save his pathetic brother. "Acceptable terms," he responded, giving a small nod. "Prepare. We leave at dawn.

Relief flooded Runa, but as quickly as the relief came, so did dread. Not only were they in the dark about Inuyasha's whereabouts but she had successfully trapped herself into traveling with Sesshomaru for who knows how long.

Great.

* * *

 **Why does Sesshomaru want Runa to return home so badly? Hmmmmmm.**

 **Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites. Really encourages me to try and write more often! I try not to leave things hanging for too long!**


	6. Chapter 6

Four days. Four long and miserable days. Four long, miserable, and _silent_ days.

Runa sighed in frustration while reflecting on the painful journey she and her companions had so far. Miroku and Sango had accompanied herself and Sesshomaru at dawn the day after Inuyasha's abduction. Runa made small talk with the human pair, who were obviously in the beginning stages of starting some kind of romantic relationship, and mainly kept to themselves. Sesshomaru stalked ahead haughtily, still not thrilled that he was asked to join the search party. While he remained quiet around the group, Runa caught him watching him a few times with a look of judgement as she chatted with the humans.

So far nothing of interest had happened. There seemed to be no scent of any kind to follow. No sign was left behind at all. Sango asked any traveler they passed by if they had witnessed any demon attacks or a shadow like creature. Fear rolled off the travelers in waves when she described the strange being that had taken their friend, and that was without mentioning the violent attack the beast had brought upon their companion.

Where had this thing taken Inuyasha? Surely some kind of sign or clue was left behind somewhere. It was unlikely that the shadow creature could disappear with a poof and end up where it wanted to be, Runa mused. She still couldn't fathom why Inuyasha was taken at all. He was powerful, sure, but now that the Shikon Jewel was destroyed, he wasn't all that interesting of a person. He lived in the village, waited around for his girlfriend, hung out with his friends, and patrolled the area to keep the villagers safe.

"Revenge," Runa whispered under her breath while she sat under a shaded tree with Sango and Miroku during a break.

"What was that Lady Runa?" Miroku asked, bringing his eyes to hers with interest. Even Sesshomaru moved his eyes over to her from the tree he sat underneath a few feet away.

Runa sucked her breath in, not sure if her friends would agree with her analysis. "I think Inuyasha must have been taken for some kind of revenge. It's the only real explanation. The Jewel is gone, Naraku and his minions are gone. All of you have been living a peaceful, under the radar life. A former enemy from some point in the past or maybe, though doubtfully, from the present must have wanted revenge," she explained. Looking up, she saw Miroku's eyes glaze over as he considered her theory.

"Perhaps," he responded, petting his chin with his thumb and forefinger in thought. "But we haven't really fought any demons that remotely resemble what attacked Inuyasha and many of our loose ends with other enemies have been tied up over the years."

"What if it's truly just a random act of evil?" Sango chimed in, gently grabbing Miroku's hand with sorrowful eyes.

They looked to Runa, but she had turned her face away and was staring intently at Sesshomaru. "Hey asshole, any theories here? It's been days and we are getting no where fast. You were supposed to be helping," she accused.

Sesshomaru appeared to ignore her for a moment before standing and sauntering towards them with an apathetic expression. He stared down icily at the girl, but his face remained passive. Runa stood and stared him down right back. She knew his little intimidating tricks and they wouldn't work on her. Their eyes remained locked for what seemed hours. Miroku and Sango watched in interest as they slowly backed away from the two silently warring dog demons. They didn't have a death wish. Not today.

"The issue, girl child," Sesshomaru scoffed, his words dripping with disdain,"is that we are being greatly slowed down by your human friends. I could have flown the same distance in a day, that we have walked in four. I have connections I could possibly discuss our predicament with, possibly gaining new information, but cannot do so while being trailed by two useless bags of flesh."

Runa, Miroku, and Sango's eyes all widened. They thought he had become more calm during his time with Rin, but the hatred for humans still seemed just as strong as it did before Rin came along. Sensing an even greater argument arising, the two humans in question all but jumped back fifty paces at once, dodging behind another tree. They peeked their heads around, waiting for an explosion between the snow haired dog demons. And they were not disappointed.

"Apologize," Runa demanded, seething with anger. Her hands balled into fists, her white fangs clenched tightly. Her eyes never left Sesshomaru's. "You have no right to insult those two, you arrogant, self-righteous bastard," she said, stabbing him in the chest with her thin index finger. "They have done more for your brother than you ever have. I had to fucking bargain with you to get you to help save your own brother's life. He's probably in agonizing pain. Scared. Alone. Or being tortured as we speak. We are all trying our best. I'd rather have the two of them by my side, saving Inuyasha, any day. Even if it means we move a bit slower! Because at least they give a shit about the outcome!" Runa stayed still, her eyes starting to bleed red and her fangs elongating, finger still poking Sesshomaru accusingly.

"You forget your place girl," Sesshomaru spoke calmly, pushing her hand back down to her side.

"I could just kill you sometimes _my Lord,_ " she muttered, her eyes regaining their emerald hue. "Is that better _my lord_? I mustn't forget my place. How dare I stand up to the great _Lord Sesshomaru._ He's just oh so fucking charming and wonderful. So helpful. So loving. And who could forget, he **never** breaks promises. He's too amazing for that," Runa finished, sarcasm and hate lacing her every word. She gave him one last glare before turning and walking away deeper into the woods. She didn't bother to glance back to watch what she assumed to be a very shocked expression come across his smug face.

Runa continued walking until she was sure she was far enough from their little camp. Then she let the tears well up. She hated getting so overwhelmed with anger. It always made her cry. She couldn't believe what a selfish, hurtful, prick he was being. However, if she were honest with herself, she guessed it wasn't that surprising. He never cared for anyone other than himself, and supposedly Rin. Even as a child he deeply struggled with understanding and sympathizing with others pain and turmoil. Sometimes, on a few, rare occasions he would show Runa he had a softer side. Once when she was sparring one of the guards she had gotten cut down her side. She had screamed out in agony and Sesshomaru rushed to her side, picking her up bridal style and carrying her straight to a healer. The entire way to the healer he told her she would be fine and buried his nose into the top of her head comfortingly. She wished he could show that side more often. But instead he remained cold and crass.

Runa wiped her tears, feeling like a total wimp, until the snap of a branch caught her off guard. Sango stepped towards her, giving her a soft wave at her alarmed face.

"I'm so sorry about that Sango. For his rude words and my outburst. He just frustrates me so," Runa whined.

"Well honestly, Lady Runa, Lord Sesshomaru wasn't wrong. Miroku and I are just slowing you two down. That won't do Inuyasha any good. I really want to find him before poor Kagome comes back to this time and completely panics," Sango explained. "We spoke to Lord Sesshomaru and told him that you two should go on ahead of us. We'll trail behind and we can use Kiara to send messages if we find any useful information. Is that an acceptable plan?" the woman asked gently, touching the demon's shoulder.

"Sango... I.. I guess I can't argue with that plan. It's logical. I just hate to travel with that bastard alone. We just don't get along," Runa pointed out, standing to face Sango and wiping her eyes once more. "But I'd do anything for Inuyasha. He's the only family I really have. We have to rescue him and I have a feeling time is running short."

"Yes, I have that same dreadful feeling, my lady. Plus it seems that you and your lord have some issues from the past to work out," Sango replied, stifling a giggle behind her hand.

"Hey! He's not my lord! There's no issues!" Runa called after Sango in embarrassment. Her face started to heat up and she was sure she was turning as red as a beet. But Sango's form had already disappeared into the trees.

"Ugh! That stupid dog!" she lamented, before following the same path back to her group.

Traveling alone with that guy just may be the death of her, she thought bitterly.


	7. Chapter 7

Runa held tightly to Sesshomaru's muscular neck. The cold air whipped by her face as they flew in the air at an incredible speed. While Sesshomaru had the gift of flight in his human form, she did not. She was a strong demon but Sesshomaru was probably the strongest in these lands and he possessed abilities of a higher caliber than most. She had suggested they take off in their demon forms but the cold lord had quickly shot her idea down, citing that they may miss small details on the ground while in their larger profiles. Runa had scoffed. In her opinion, their eyesight was the same either way, but who could argue with that man? Giving up was the only option. So here she was with her arms around his neck, body held tightly to his, zooming at what felt like the speed of light into the evening sky.

They had left Miroku and Sango behind only a day ago and they had already covered twice the ground. The decision to move forward alone had been for the best, but Runa still despised the thought of being solo with the dog lord. If the past had taught her anything, she knew she couldn't truly count on him. He'd move on when the mood struck, and reappear at a time of his own choosing. It had happened before throughout their time knowing each other. He'd disappear for months, never telling anyone where he was going or when he'd come back, just leaving. Upon his return, he would have harrowing tales of battles and bloodshed, where he of course was the lone victor. She would sit and listen to the stories, completely enraptured.

Eventually, Sesshomaru left less and less, choosing to spend time with her instead. They would spend their days lounging in the library together, reading old scrolls. Some were tales of intense wars his father had once waged in order to come into power over the Western Lands. Others were beautiful romances between lords and ladies. In the evenings they took a stroll in the gardens, which to this day, were still the most gorgeous gardens she had ever laid her eyes on. It was in those very gardens that the stoic lord had kissed her for the first time. Her cheeks burned red at the thought and she felt Sesshomaru's grip on her waist tighten.

"Do you see something?" he question, gaze following hers out over the trees.

His inquiry made Runa realize she had been staring off blindly like an idiot, staring out at nothing in particular. The redness on her face deepened and she caught herself nearly stuttering in response. She breathed deeply, gathering herself before opening her mouth and possibly making a fool of herself.

"No, I thought I did, but it was nothing," she muttered gently, avoiding eye contact with her companion. The forest they were soaring over was beginning to thin out as the sun set, revealing orange and pink rays shining over an open field. "Maybe we can stop for the night, Sesshomaru," she suggested softly, "I'm getting tired from being in this same position for hours."

He simply nodded and started descending towards the field. He landed gently and slowly released her from his grasp, her feet touching the soft earth as she sighed in relief. She had to get some space from this guy and force her brain in another direction. She didn't want to think about the past anymore. Runa let her feet carry her as far away from the man as possible before realizing he might follow her.

"I'm going on a walk, my lord, to clear my mind," she told Sesshomaru blandly, before stalking away into the woods. She didn't dare glance back but she knew he was watching her intensely, it was hard to miss the feeling of eyes following your every movement. Runa just wanted to find Inuyasha and save his life, if there was even any part of him left to save. They had zero information so far, no leads, not even a whisper of his whereabouts. No one had seen a demon that appeared as a shadow, with the strength of one hundred men. It, whatever it was, had simply disappeared without a trace. If Sesshomaru struggled to trace it's scent then what hope did they realistically have?

She continued through the trees as they became thicker, and more closely grown together. She only slowed down once the foliage became significantly more difficult to push through. The forest felt eerily calm, forcing her to stop mid-step and listen intently. She heard no rustling leaves from the soft wind that had been blowing only moments before. No birds chirped their evening songs, no deer scampered away from her movements in fear. Suddenly on high alert, Runa swiveled around in an attempt to pick up on any sound. These signs could easily mean a demon besides herself was nearby. But typically the signs would appear from a flared aura and she sensed none at all. But bit by bit an unparalleled fear crept into her stomach. Her heart began racing and she broke out into a cold sweat. Desperately trying to keep her calm she nonchalantly looked in every direction, straining her emerald eyes in an attempt to see if someone was there. Nothing became visible, at least not to the naked eye. She was confused as to why this feeling of dread was affecting her for no reason. However, the fear slowly turned to terror, until tears formed in the corners of her eyes and slid down her cheeks.

Runa clutched at her chest in a vain attempt to quell her hammering heart. Finally, a creature appeared, one like none other she had ever seen. It was a hulking shadow of a man, easily three times larger than a large human male. It looked greyish but faintly translucent. She understood now what Sango and the others had witnessed on the day Inuyasha was taken. It stalked towards her, trees simply floating through it's body with every step it took. A jagged, toothy grin appeared on it's human like face, black holes replacing the spot where eyes should have been. It's teeth were on display, akin to sharp razor blades, sitting on a jaw that jutted out from the rest of the creatures face. It's arms were longer than what fit it's body with shadowy claws instead of hands. The creature stopped a few feet in front of her and let out a strangled laugh, as if it barely had a throat to form sounds. Then Runa saw a glint sparkling from it's left claw. Trying to focus her eyes on the object, they immediately grew wide at the realization of what the thing was holding.

Tessaiga!


	8. Chapter 8

This has to be the exact creature that took Inuyasha, Runa thought, still standing in horror at the strange shadow beast in front of her. She hoped to Kami that no other creature like it existed at least. One of them may be possible to defeat but if it had a team.. she shook her head at the thought and focused back on the sword in it's claws.

"Where is Inuyasha you vile creature?" she questioned. When it simply stared at her, she sighed. "Give me the location of my brother and I won't have to slice you to pieces," Runa quipped, keeping her voice as steady as possible despite the still overpowering dread the creature seemed to affect people with.

Without warning, a green acidic whip sliced through the creatures body vertically. Runa swiveled to her right to see Sesshomaru coming to a stop beside her. He made no expression as the whip simply went through the shadow creature with absolutely no affect. The shadow let out another throaty, gnarled laugh and tossed Tessaiga at their feet. It stabbed into the fresh soil and leaves, shrunken, tiny, and missing it's sheath. Runa made a quick step towards the sword but Sesshomaru threw his arm out in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. He continued to stare the creature down as it seemed to be slowly fading away into nothing. It's body simply faded right before their very eyes until it had completely vanished. Runa noticed that once it left the wildlife in the forest jumped back to life and the soft breeze once again blew around them.

Sesshomaru let his arm drop and walked towards the sword hesitantly. He circled it, checking it for any outward signs of trickery, but he found none. He reached for the sword slowly, letting his hand encircle the hilt tentatively, before grasping it tightly. But Runa watched as the sword rejected him, forcing him to pull his hand back as it crackled softly with lightening like strikes.

"You finally got what you wanted, but the sword still rejects you, ne?" Runa said with a smirk.

"Quiet your tongue, girl," he responded. "I no longer desire this sword, so your sarcasm is unwarranted," Sesshomaru told her with a disapproving look in her direction. His eyes darted back to the sword jutting up from the ground, reaching out gently towards it as he squatted beside the blade.

"Did you not learn your lesson Lord Sesshomaru?" his companion asked with a roll of her eyes, moving to push his hand away to save him the trouble of getting shocked.

"Look," was all he said, his head nodding towards the bottom of the hilt. Runa followed his eyes and gasped as she finally noticed the small scroll tied below the ragged wooden handle. Swiftly pulling out a knife she kept tucked in a garter around her thigh, she ignored Sesshomaru's chastising grimace at her hiked up kimono, and cut the ribbon gently. After sitting gracefully on her knees and yanking the ribbon wrapped around the scroll, she unrolled it. Sesshomaru watched her carefully, waiting for her to read out the contents to him, but she just stared down at the paper with a concerned expression. He plucked the parchment from her hands and read over the single line in the middle of the page.

 _You all will fall dog demons._

"What does it mean?" Runa asked, taking the note back from his hand. "I don't understand. I know Inuyasha is a dog demon too, but only half.. there's other full blooded demons it could have gone after if it wanted us 'all to fall', including us. We were just a mile or so away when it came into the village that day", she said with a shake of her head. Looking to her childhood friend for answers, she watched his furrowed brows and recognized his look of concentration, almost as if he were trying to remember something.

"I do not know. There are many with a grudge against our family specifically. Father fought many enemies in his time," he responded with a shrug, but continued on,"but we have a larger problem. This sword keeps Inuyasha's demon blood in check. Without it he becomes a mindless animal. If he's still alive, he's become a madman. He'd have no use other than for his captors' sick enjoyment. This one must conclude that he is likely dead already," he explained with an air of absolute calm and detachment.

"No!" Runa shouted, dropping the paper and putting her hand to her mouth, silencing her own cry. Tears immediately began flowing. "You can't say that Sesshomaru. We can't give up hope. He's out there, still alive, and he needs his sword. I won't give up on him until I see his body myself," she croaked, now crying harder. She let her voice fall to a whisper, looking tearfully at her childhood companion,"Please, please Sesshomaru. Don't give up yet," Runa pleaded, falling into his chest and knocking him to his butt from his squatted position on the forest floor.

Immediately feeling uncomfortable and awkward, he allowed his arm to fall around her shoulders lightly. Normally with Rin he merely commanded she cease her crying, but he did not think the older woman would appreciate that. Instead he allowed her to grip onto his shirt with tight, balled fists. Her sobs quieted slowly and she brought her face to the junction of his neck, pressing her nose into it softly to breath in his scent. He could sense it calming her down so he said and did nothing, just continued to hold her gently while she cried her fear and frustrations out. The girl he knew was not this weak typically, but he knew his brother had always been a weak spot for her. Sesshomaru weighed his options. He could not know for a fact the half breed was dead, nor did he know for sure if he was alive. The last thing he needed was the boy bringing any further embarrassment to the family name than his existence in the first place already had. Plus, he thought, he had always felt a soft spot for Runa and hated to disappoint her, thought he hated to admit it.

"We will not give up, yet, Runa," he told her, having made up his mind. "Our search will continue. But you must prepare yourself for the possibility that he is gone and the best hope you have for him is to bring him a proper burial," he explained, removing his arm from around her and pushing her away, forcing her to look at him.

Runa gave him a subdued nod and said,"I understand, my lord. Thank you though. I know you don't care for him much, but I do. So does Kagome and all of his friends. I don't want to just leave him to die if there's any chance of saving him." Without warning, she threw herself onto Sesshomaru again and gave him a tight hug. This caught him off guard but before he could move she pulled away.

"I'll send a message to Miroku and Sango, updating them about the shadow creatures appearance and message," Runa said, moving to stand up and walk back to the clearing outside of the forest.

Sesshomaru nodded and they walked back together, his hand unconsciously falling to the small of her back.


	9. Chapter 9

Runa had remained quiet in the days following the encounter with the shadow demon. She felt embarrassed and awkward about being so ridiculously emotional in front of Sesshomaru since they started their hunt. It was not a side of herself she showed often and yet the emotions were constantly bubbling under the surface lately. She supposed she may be able to forgive herself considering she was just worried for Inuyasha. Kiara would arrive with a weekly correspondence and update from Sango and Miroku relatively soon. It seemed like a waste to send a separate message about their skirmish when the cat would come in a few days anyway, so Runa and Sesshomaru chose to push ahead. Their current journey would lead them straight to Bokuseno. Runa had only met the tree demon once or twice but knew him to be one of Toga's most trusted advisers, as well as one of Sesshomaru's.

Sesshomaru theorized that Bokuseno would be the one most likely to have information on what they were up against in the fight to rescue Inuyasha. Living for two thousand years certainly had it's benefits, one of which being he knew nearly every important event to happen in the history of Japan, especially when it came to the dog demon clan. So for the last three days they had been walking towards the old tree. Runa was relieved to be walking instead of flying. Being pressed against Sesshomaru's warm, muscular chest had been doing her no favors. None at all. Putting space between herself and the stoic lord had been just what she needed. She often let him take the lead, trailing a few feet behind him. They barely spoke at all during their travels and Runa was just fine with that. Though she was thankful he had agreed to help, she could not forget that his aid came with strings attached. That fact left a bitter taste in her mouth and she couldn't seem to get rid of it despite her best efforts.

But Runa was willing to give up her freedom for Inuyasha's life. The Lady Mother would probably just force her into another marriage. There were worse things, she supposed. Sesshomaru had been able to walk away from his engagement, Runa reasoned, so maybe she had a chance at walking away from any of hers as well. If the Lady Mother even accepted her back into the fold in the first place. Runa looked to the setting sun and grimaced, they would most likely make camp soon, at her insistence. Sesshomaru may be able to power walk a million miles in a short time span but she wasn't up to it without periodic rest. She knew he'd internally roll his eyes at her but he would just have to get over himself.

"I need some rest time, my lord," she said gently, knowing he would hear her no matter what volume she spoke at. Sesshomaru simply turned his head slightly behind him, sparing her a brief glace. He regarded her momentarily and continued walking.

"Do as you wish," he replied, finally coming to a stop near a withering tree. "We will arrive tomorrow."

With that, he sat down in his usual position, letting his arm rest on his knee and tipping his head back against the dying tree trunk. Runa eyed him before turning tail and walking towards the fresh source of water she sensed. The night creatures began humming shortly after she set off, lulling her into a relaxed state. After only two or three miles she came to the edge of a shimmering lake. The water held a deep blue hue and the moon bounced off in a beautiful pale light. Glancing around she sensed not one presence but her own and figured it was the perfect time to bathe and refresh herself.

Pulling off the few layers of her pink silk kimono until she was in her white under slip, she tossed them to the side on a large rock by the water's surface. With one last glance around Runa stepped into the water. It chilled her immediately but she pressed on until she was chest deep in the lakes water. She scrubbed at her skin before dipping her head under and rinsing her long white hair. She would give anything for a warm bath in the Lady Mother's palace about now, but she was on a mission and had to let go of the finer things. Popping out of the water, she immediately sensed she was being watched. She swiveled around and met icy blue eyes.

"Are you enjoying my lake?" the observer asked casually, sitting upon the rock she had set her clothes on. He sat with his legs crossed and chin in his hand. Long black hair was tied tightly into a ponytail on top of his head. Runa immediately noted his pointed ears and the vertical dark blue lines under each eye that curved down to his chin. His clothes were made of fine silk, with coloring to match his demon markings, and a golden sash tied around his waist. She also took notice of the two or three swords resting on his hip.

Taking a deep breath and choosing to remain calm, she spoke back to him with a bow of her head,"My apologies, my lord, I was unaware you had claim on this lake. If you allow me to exit and get dressed, I will leave quickly." She gave him an apologetic smile and waited for his response. He caught her off guard with a gentle laugh.

"Ah but such a beauty I would never wish to have leave so quickly," he shot back, a playful glint in his eye. "No, perhaps I should join you instead," he quipped, and began removing his shirt. His chest was tan and chiseled causing a blush to rise on Runa's pale cheeks.

"No, no my lord!" Runa all but yelled out, finally turning away. "That would not be appropriate at all! Allow me to leave," she asked, letting honey drip in her voice, still trying to stay calm and diplomatic. But this guy was really starting to piss her off.

Another laugh met her ears and she turned to look at him curiously. "Now, now. Are we shy, my lady? If you want to leave then you'll have to come retrieve your clothing from me!" he called out with glee while picking up her pile of clothing, clearly enjoying taunting her.

"Do you you think I would be embarrassed?" Runa questioned, annoyance bubbling through her calm demeanor. She rolled her eyes. Whoever this man was, he thought he was being flirty and funny. But he was really just ruining her relaxing bath. With a huff she shot out of the water and onto the shore before him, snatching her clothes from his hands. When the small dagger she carried fell on the ground from the pile she snatched it up, jutting it out in front of her.

"You're feisty, I like that," the man chuckled. "Do you wish to fight? And while you're drenched, standing in a see through under dress?" he asked while looking her body up and down.

Runa knew her body was on display but this guy was asking for a fight.

One she would gladly give him.


	10. Chapter 10

Runa made the first attack, slicing towards his stomach before dodging to his right and landing a punch squarely on his jaw. But he took her aback when he rubbed at his sore jaw and laughed again. He unsheathed one of the swords at his hip, gripping the golden hilt lightly, and swinging it in a circle to show off his skill.

His opponent took this opportunity to crouch low and pivot until her leg swiped at his ankle. Her kick connected but not hard enough to knock him down. He jumped back a few feet, a frown forming on his face. "Just who are you, my feisty sprite?" he asked, cocking his head in confusion. Apparently he wasn't used to pretty women attacking him, Runa thought.

"I am Runa of the dog demon clan," she stated simply, before rushing him again, dagger flashing in her fist.

"Ah," the black haired demon clucked, "I have heard that dogs tend to get terribly testy," he responded while he dodged her attack and somersaulted over her head. "I am Niko, lord of this small land and it's lakes," he explained, though she hadn't the faintest idea as to why as she really did not care.

Runa shrugged with a blank look on her face, running at him again, but this time jumping into the air and spinning until her foot slammed into his face. He fell back a few paces before steadying himself and taking a swing at her with his sword. Runa gasped and ducked, feeling the whoosh as the blade swung over her head, nearly grazing the top of her thick silvery tresses. As he went to swing again Runa slammed her wrist into his, blocking his movement, before twirling out of his way.

"Are you a warrior? You fight well for a lady who seems to be of noble birth," Niko remarked with a small smile, watching as she arranged her body into a perfect fighting stance.

"Being a lady does not preclude me from also being a warrior," she scoffed back, rolling her eyes at him again. The nerve of this guy! This time they both ran at each other, Niko brandishing his sword, and Runa gripping her small dagger. The woman shocked him when her small blade caught the edge of his sword and held it steady. The handle of the dagger gripped in her hand, while she pressed the tip flat in the other, created a perfect block. Runa used his moment of surprise to push back hard against his sword and then slammed her fist down upon his in one fluid motion. It happened so fast Niko did not even realize he had let go of his sword until he watched her catch the dropped weapon. The dog demoness swung the blade around at him, a cocky grin appearing on her face before she gave him a hard kick in his bare chest, sending him flying to the ground. The next thing he knew, a bare, cold foot was pressed into his chest, his own sword pointed at his throat. Niko took in the beautifully defined face and white waves of hair that appeared over his face. Runa smiled, stabbing his sword into the dirt beside his head, in a very pointed gesture. She held her hand out to him as she moved her foot from on top of his sternum.

Niko took her hand, staring at her in awe. "You fight amazingly well, Lady Runa," he told her with a bow, dwarfing her small hand in his own large one.

The water demon still had her hand in his grasp when a voice interrupted their gaze into one another's eyes.

"Runa. Cover yourself," Sesshomaru said, eyeing the pair warily. Runa snapped her hand back from Niko, clearly surprised to have been found by Sesshomaru. She met his glare, only to see him giving her near naked form a once over, with a hard stare. A pink blush sprang to her cheeks and she all but ran over to her clothes and began dressing.

"What kind of lecherous man attacks a girl while she bathes?" Sesshomaru spat at the dark haired man before him.

Niko glanced over to Runa, who shrugged while turning her eyes to the side. Sorry pal, but you're on your own, she seemed to say. "My apologies, my lord, but I did offer her clothes to her before she so rudely attacked me," he responded with a smirk while he put his shirt back on.

"Now you're just twisting the story, Lord Niko!" Runa called out as she came to stand beside him. "But I needed a good fight, so I thank you for that," she said with a laugh before Sesshomaru's expression caused her to go silent and look away awkwardly.

"Hn," Sesshomaru murmured before turning away, "Come Runa."

Runa stared after him getting the distinct feeling he was angry at her. Turning to Niko, she gave him a grin,"It was nice to meet you. But you probably should stop creeping on women who decide to bathe in the lake," she pointed out.

"I did not mean to intrude on you, truly," he told her, putting his hand on the back of his head and shrugging, the corner of his mouth pulling up in a smirk,"but I am glad to have met such a beautiful warrior in the pale moonlight," he said, taking her hand and bending down to kiss it. "If there is anything I could ever do for you," Niko offered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively," then call on me and I shall do my best to assist."

"Actually," Runa began, eyeing him before pulling her hand away,"have you ever heard of or seen a shadow demon? They strike fear into your heart and are huge ugly creatures," she explained, watching him for a reaction. "We have been hunting for them. They took my brother and we are trying to get him back."

Niko's expression immediately grew dark, all playfulness leaving his blue eyes. "Yes, I have witnessed the power of these creatures. Even an experienced fighter such as yourself would struggle to take one down," he said, shaking his head.

Runa ignored his dark expression, and perked up at his response. "Come with me to our camp, Lord Niko. What you have to say could help us find my brother and kill these shadow demons."

She looked up to call to Sesshomaru to wait but when she saw him he had already stopped and was giving her the coldest glare she had ever seen. Then she noticed his glare fell upon the water demon too.

Niko grimaced and glanced to the woman at his side,"Is that guy always like this? He seems to have some anger issues."

"Uhm, yeah.. that's just kind of his personality. It will be fine!" she chirped, pulling Niko behind her as she followed after the angry lord of the west.

Dinner would certainly be interesting tonight.

* * *

 **Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. I let some of my stories drop for awhile and getting alerts to my email really inspired me to get back to it. I know Sesshomaru is crazy quiet so far but I don't want him to come across too OOC so I'm trying to let him build up to talking and showing his personality a little bit more.**


	11. Chapter 11

The awkward silence was killing her.

The fire crackled and a pile of fresh meat was laid before the trio, ready to eat before Niko explained what he knew about the shadow demons. But Sesshomaru's icy glares and complete silence was beginning to unnerve her. She glanced to where he sat a few feet away against the withering tree. He immediately turned his head, not bothering to meet her eyes.

"I'll be right back Lord Niko," she said, sparing the man a brief glance while he chomped on his dinner, barely even noticing her.

She walked up to Sesshomaru, staring down at him impassively before tapping his foot with her own. "What's your problem, Sesshomaru?" she asked with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a dirty look.

Sesshomaru went completely still and looked up at her scowling face. "I do not have a problem," he replied, staring into her eyes and daring her to push him.

Runa inwardly snickered because he should know better than to challenge her to a stare off. "Bullshit, _my lord,_ I think I can tell when someone goes from having a stick up their ass to having an entire tree up their ass," she shot back, staring into his golden eyes even harder, refusing to blink.

"Your impudence grows tiresome girl," he spat back, swiftly moving from his seated position into a standing one less than two inches from her face.

Runa redirected her stare from his armored chest and back to his face,"For one, I am not a girl anymore, and two, I don't think inviting someone to dinner that has possibly valuable information is being impudent," she huffed with a roll of her eyes. "He said he knows the shadow demons. That means he gets a dinner invitation and the right to camp with us for the night while he tells us what he knows."

"So you make a habit of inviting men who spy on you while bathing and have seen your naked form, to dinner?" he questioned, raising his brow at her with fake curiosity.

"Ha! What do you care anyway?" she asked, jabbing her finger into her chest, something she knew he just loathed, "Are you just jealous?" she spat out accusingly.

"As if I'd be jealous over a woman I chose not to have," Sesshomaru responded, knocking her finger away from his chest, and glaring at her. But his glare faltered when he saw the look in the woman's eyes.

Runa let her hand fall but continued to stare at him, attempting to hide the shock at his very direct, and very hurtful insult. She let her face relax into a passive expression, closing her eyes and allowing them to linger in their shut position. Popping her eyes back open she gave him a nod. "Well then, I guess you are just fine letting things go and sitting with us to hear his story, yes?" she said evenly, never letting her eyes move from his. When he chose to remain silent she nodded again, "Come on then, Lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru stared after her, a slight regret hitting his chest. He probably shouldn't have said that to her but at least it got the fiery demoness off his back. He walked towards the campfire and took a seat across from Runa, who had seated himself as close as possible to Niko. He eyed the water demon with disgust.

"Lord Niko, can you please tell us anything you know about the shadow demons?" she asked him, laying a gentle hand on his arm.

Niko set down the boar leg he had been eating and nodded. "Many years ago my father angered these shadow demons. They had an alliance with the panther tribe and he aided the Great Dog General in his battle against them. That was your father I believe, yes, Lord Sesshomaru?" Niko asked with a pause, giving the dog demon a slight glance to see his reaction as he learned their fathers were once allies.

Sesshomaru simply stared back so Niko continued,"The shadow demons are not really demons, they may be some kind of evil spirits possibly, but not actual demons. They feast on the evil deeds of men and demons alike, reveling in their greed and vanity. They use fear as their largest weapon from what I recall, paralyzing their enemies and using it to destroy them swiftly. Being the strong demons they were, our fathers were able to cast this fear off long enough to battle the spirits. My father sacrificed his life in order to seal the shadow demons, as you call them, away in a cave. His loving, kind, and noble spirit has kept them at bay for a century, but it came at great cost. I was so young when he died that other lords overpowered our forces and stole my lands right out from under me. And your father was caught up in his own merciless battles with Ryukotsusei and eventually Takemaru, to help my family. This small parcel of land and the lakes within are all I have left to call the Water Demon Tribe's," Niko finished with a heavy sigh.

Runa grasped Niko's hand, her eyes wide and brimming with unshed tears,"I am so sorry Niko! What a terrible story. Your father was very brave and loyal to Toga to do so much for him and both of our families," she said, patting his back with her other hand.

Niko's eyes widened in surprise and he turned to Runa, grabbing both her hands in his,"You and Lord Sesshomaru are siblings?" he asked incredulously. "You are Toga's daughter?"

Runa blushed,"Adopted daughter, kinda. He found me and raised me with Sesshomaru for most of my life. But we aren't actually related, no," she explained, as Niko nodded in understanding, still holding onto her hands gently. Sesshomaru kept sending him warning glares but the water demon never looked away from his friend's face long enough to notice.

"Niko, do you know how your father sealed them? From what you're saying it takes a pure heart and honest intentions to start the process, but was there anything else he did? And, I wonder how they escaped," Runa asked him, desperation in the edge of her voice. If they could find the shadow demons and rescue Inuyasha they could get rid of them once and for all.

"Unfortunately I have told you all I know my lord and lady," Niko explained with a sigh, finally releasing Runa's hands and looking back to Sesshomaru. "But I will gladly pledge my allegiance to the Lord of the West Lands, just as my father before me. I vow to aid you in finding your brother Inuyasha and once again sealing these evil spirits away! I'm sure I may be one of their targets as well, all considering," he announced.

Sesshomaru did everything in his power not to roll his eyes and to keep stoic expression. He really hated this guy. "That will not be necessary," he said coldly, his eyes falling to Runa's face, as the comment was mainly meant for her.

Niko looked taken aback but Runa didn't even flinch.

"No," she replied, just as coldly as the lord before her. "We had a deal Sesshomaru. If you want me to hold up my end of the bargain, we do whatever it takes to recover Inuyasha. Right now, Niko is offering assistance and we'd be idiots," she emphasized idiots with a pointed look," not to take him up on it. And, before you try to argue with me, I will not relent," she finished, leaning forward so he could see the determination in her eyes from across the fire.

Sesshomaru glared at her so hard that Runa almost thought she could see his eye twitching.

"Do as you wish, foolish girl."


	12. Chapter 12

Sesshomaru watched Runa touch Niko's arm and laugh for the tenth time since they had left the camp in the early morning light. The woman was practically giving him the cold shoulder, while making sure to be friendly as ever with the water demon. He turned his head back before they noticed his stare and continued marching on towards the ancient demon tree. Perhaps if the tree knew enough information he could be rid of that annoying little sprite by the evening. Sesshomaru could only hope to make the man appear obsolete so he and his former childhood friend could continue their journey in peace and quiet.

He hated everything about this unwelcome newcomer. His pointed ears and dark blue markings crowed proudly of his full blooded status and yet Sesshomaru felt the same disdain for him as he felt for his half breed brother. His deep and robust laugh carried on the wind, making it sound louder than it already was. He was friendly and showed great humor. Obnoxious, indeed, Sesshomaru decided.

His mind wandered to his cruel remark to Runa last night and the way her eyes widened in shock and hurt, only to be replaced by a cold glare. He was sure that was her reasoning for barely glancing at him today. She had simply nodded that morning when he said it was time to go and hadn't spoken to him since. This irked him but he could not come up with a good reason it did. He had a soft spot for her, sure, but overall she no longer meant anything to him. He refused to give into what, in his opinion, was one of her temper tantrums.

"Runa," Sesshomaru called behind his shoulder, while pausing his steps, just in time to see the silver haired woman clapping her hands and laughing in delight at another one of Niko's stories. He rolled his eyes inwardly.

"Yes, my lord?" she said faintly, both she and Niko stopping and waiting for his response.

"We approach Bokuseno. You and I shall continue alone. Your friend can wait here," he told her, continuing his stride once again.

Suddenly the woman was beside him, stretching her legs wide to keep up with his long strides. "Why must our new ally stay behind, exactly?" she asked, raising her eyebrow in suspicion.

Sesshomaru considered telling her the truth, that the man was simply too annoying and he wished to confer with his old friend in peace, but Sesshomaru decided that would only get him attitude from her. "I do not know Niko well, nor would Bokuseno. It is best we do not spring a stranger on him if we want answers."

Runa gave him a skeptical look but finally nodded, apparently deciding his reasoning was a passable excuse. She jogged back to Niko who had remained behind, sitting on a large boulder next to a stream they had been following. Sesshomaru watched as the man made eye contact with him and nodded, giving Runa a playful pat on the head, which she swatted away with a laugh. When she fell back in step with Sesshomaru he shot her a look and said, "I find you to be remarkably giddy considering our current situation."

The woman gave him an apathetic look and shrugged. "Niko is friendly and nice. He's funny too. Having someone to lighten my spirits does not make me any less concerned for Inuyasha. But if I continue dwelling on my worry and grief, it will eat me from the inside out. But I'm sure you can't imagine how that feels, Mr. No Feelings," she remarked with a huff and continued walking to get ahead of him.

Determined not to let her get the best of him, Sesshomaru caught up to her as they entered a thick grove of trees. Branches all but parted for them as they neared their destination. The surrounding area gave off a magical, mystical feeling as the trees encompassing them hummed with life. In the very middle of the forest sat Bukuseno, who laughed in merriment as he sensed Sesshomaru and Runa's auras approaching.

"Ah so the great demon Sesshomaru, Lord of the West, seeks an audience with me," boomed the ancient tree, mirth dancing on the edge of his voice. "And Runa, his lovely companion since childhood. Now tell me, what can I help the two of you with?" the old demon asked.

Sesshomaru inwardly rolled his eyes at the tree. He always hated Bokuseno's propensity for theatrics.

"Old friend," Sesshomaru began, "we come seeking information on a band of evil spirits my father fought long ago, before his battle with Ryukotsusei began. They have escaped and have kidnapped Inuyasha for revenge," he finished explaining.

"I see," replied Bokuseno, "and you seek to free your half brother from his captors?" he questioned.

"No, I do," Runa cut in, "I made a bargain with Sesshomaru for his help. Please, do you have any information on these vile creatures?"

Runa could feel the demon regarding her for a moment. Sesshomaru shot her a glare, which she completely ignored, continuing to stare at Bokuseno with hopeful eyes. Finally, he continued.

"Long ago, yes, your father fought these creatures. He called them the Shi No Kage or the Shadows of Death. Their very presence locks your heart in fear, tears at your senses with vile trickery. All in the hopes that their prey will be too fearful, anxious, and disoriented to fight back. These shadows are after souls, they feed off them. Hatred, violence, and anger give them strength. Perhaps this is why and how they have returned as the world grows darker everyday as the nature of men begins to overtake the earth with their treachery. If they wanted revenge, it would certainly make sense that they come after the dog demon clan."

"So Niko was correct," Runa said, mainly to herself, her brow furrowing.

Bokuseno turned his trunk towards her and asked,"Ah the son of the lord who helped Toga, I believe?"

Runa nodded eagerly, "Yes, that's him! We met him last night and he told us what details he could. He might be in danger too. After all, his father was the one who actually did the sealing."

"Perhaps," their ancient friend responded, "however, I have a feeling these creatures feel they have bigger fish to fry."

"How do we destroy them?" Sesshomaru asked, tiring of being in the old forest. He was ready to continue this journey and get it over with.

"That I can only theorize for you," Bokuseno replied. "Only a person with pure intentions can avoid becoming crippled by the creatures powers. As to the exact means to which Toga and his friend accomplished the sealing I can not be sure. However, seek out the witch in the high mountain, as she may have the answers you seek."

"Thank you, old friend," Sesshomaru said as he turned on his heel and began walking away.

Runa stared after him, pausing by the tree for a moment. She let her hand rest upon it's gnarled old bark and whispered, "Thank you Bokuseno. We will find him and defeat these bastards. Hopefully I won't kill _that_ bastard in the process!"

The tree chuckled at her comment. "Child, be patient with the boy. He has much to learn, though he may not think so. Have faith in his ability to grow."

Runa snorted and rolled her eyes slightly, but patted Bokuseno's bark, "Goodbye, friend."

She quickened her pace to catch up to her silver haired companion and they exited the forest together. As they crested the hill where they had left Niko, Runa's eyes lit up with joy, while Sesshomaru's narrowed in disdain.

Niko sat on the same rock they had left him on, but now he was surrounded by five large bouquets of flowers. Each appeared to be arranged with care, the colors of the flowers complimenting each other just right. As Runa approached him, Niko hopped up and grabbed one of the bunches, holding it out to her with a bow.

"For the beautiful lady, to lift her spirits," he chimed cheekily as the woman accepted the flowers and smiled.

"I see you've been busy Niko," she said, accepting the other bouquets one by one as he handed them over.

"Well, I did have time to kill," he replied with a shrug and another smile.

Behind them, Sesshomaru rearranged his face back into a passive stare and turned swiftly on his heel to continue walking. They didn't have time for such foolishness.

They had a witch to find.


	13. Chapter 13

"So how do we know we are going in the right direction, again?" asked Niko for the tenth time that day. Runa smiled faintly and looked to Sesshomaru. She knew his patience was really starting to wear thin.

With a heavy sigh the dog demon answered lowly, almost with a growl, "This Sesshomaru has heard rumors of the witch for years. Heading north should get us to the mountain she lives on. I will not repeat myself again water lord."

Niko nodded, though the annoyed lord couldn't see him. He turned to Runa and rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

Letting Sesshomaru gain a few paces on them before responding, Runa finally said, "You live dangerously, Niko."

"Nah," the blue eyed demon responded, "He's all bark and no bite."

"That's really not true, I can assure you, my lord. I've witnessed his ruthlessness myself," Runa whispered back with a shake of her head. A deep chuckle vibrated through her companion's chest. Stopping, she shot him a dirty look. "I would prefer not to see you slain today, you water imp, so please, leave him be. The tension is bad enough as it is," she huffed with frustration.

"Oh my darling nymph, you give that dog far more credit than he is due. You see, he wouldn't waste his time bothering with me. He is on a mission and he wants to complete it as soon as possible. Killing me for my minor offenses would be a blatant misuse of his precious time. The sooner he gets Inuyasha back, the sooner he can feel he helped his precious sister, not sister and get out of here," Niko explained with an arrogant smile and then bopped Runa's nose with his forefinger.

Startled by his movement to her face she swatted at his hand and then mulled over his words. She knew Sesshomaru was only helping her find Inuyasha because she had promised to return to his mother's home. It wasn't about actually helping, just completing their bargain. Her green eyes moved towards the stoic lord vanishing over the hill before her. If only he cared, but he lacked the ability to care for anyone but himself. He had proven that time and time again. She desperately wanted to see that gentle, kind, and caring side of him she once knew but that seemed to be an impossibility. Where would they be now if things had gone differently?

"Are you coming sweet lady?" Niko called.

"Huh?" Runa replied but quickly realized she had completely zoned out and now Niko was nearly atop the hill in front of her as well. Running, she caught up to him with a quiet apology, deciding not to let the water demon know where his comments had taken her mind.

The days continued to drag on as the trio moved towards the north. The air became more crisp and mountains came into view. But one mountain in particular stood out above the rest with jagged peaks covered in pure white snow. It towered above the smaller crests by at least one thousand feet, with the steely grey stone of the lesser mountains silhouetting before it. The sun slowly disappeared as they ascended toward the peak, replaced with grey clouds. The grass faded away into brown patches of dead life before letting way to nothing but slippery rock. Runa grimaced as the wind blew another bitter gust into her face causing her long hair to whip behind her angrily. She wished someone had suggested stopping to purchase more suitable clothing for the wintry weather but at least with their demon strength and blood it wasn't half as bad as it could be for them. Sesshomaru continued to press on, ignoring the two weaker demons behind him, hoping to reach the witch as quickly as possible. The group was now entering the snowiest part of the peak, which meant it wouldn't be much longer until they discovered if the witch was actually on the crown of the mountain or not. Suddenly Runa's foot slipped from underneath her shivering form and she began to tumble backwards down the steep slope they were trekking up.

Half dazed, Runa finally managed to gather her wits and dug her sharp nails into the ground along with her booted feet. She began to slow down just in time to see her body had significantly veered off course during her slide and she was dangerously close to the edge of the mountain. Unable to pull a full stop she slipped over the edge. Flexing her hands she blindly grabbed for anything she could. Finding a small ledge faster than she anticipated, her form halted to a stop, dangling dangerously hundreds of feet up from the next ledge down. As she began to pull herself up, an arm snaked its way across her back, gripping her waist firmly.

"You may let go, if you trust I will not drop you," Sesshomaru said with a smirk, his cloud of youki helping him float gracefully in place.

Ignoring his smart comment, she let go of the ledge and draped her arms over his neck. "I would have managed my way back up, but thanks," she replied, almost foggily as she breathed his scent in. It was masculine, with undertones of wood and spice. It felt intoxicating as she pressed her face into his shoulder.

"It seemed to this one that you were managing your way down far more efficiently," he snickered, raising them higher until their feet hit solid, more level ground. He set her down gently, noticing how her arms lingered around his neck for a moment longer than necessary before falling at her sides limply.

"You really just can't help yourself, can you?" Runa replied, giving him a playful smack on his armor. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her as if waiting for her to get angrier for his attitude, but she simply gave him a small smile and looked further up the mountain to where Niko was descending toward them. She began walking to meet him, leaving a confused Sesshomaru to follow her.

"Are you alright my lady?" Niko asked, reaching out to grasp her hand.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Sesshomaru helped me up so it really wasn't too bad. Just me being a bit clumsy. The cold is getting to me. Let us hurry the rest of the way and get this done. This witch better be sitting up at the top or I'm going to be pretty bitter," she finished with a mumble. Tossing her hair behind her shoulder, only to have the wind plaster it back across her face, Runa began moving forward. Niko held his hand out to her again and she accepted awkwardly, allowing him to hold her hand as they moved back up the slope at a faster pace.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously at Niko, though the water demon didn't see. He was too busy smiling sweetly at the demoness as he grasped her hand tightly. Sesshomaru started after them, an anger bubbling in his chest though he did not know why, when a figure in the distance caught his eye. Niko and Runa had already stopped to glance back at him as the figure padded casually towards them.

Finally the figure stopped before them, revealing a scarred teenage girl, with gashes across her face healed into thick white lines. She appeared to be blind in at least one eye as it was white at it's center and a scar ran through her lid down across her cheek. She was dressed warmly in a thick cape lined with fur and matching boots. Braided black hair hung across her shoulder and down to her waist. If not for her badly disfigured face the young woman may have been beautiful by human standards.

"Come demons, the mistress awaits you," she called in a bored tone and quickly turned on her heel.

The band of demons looked at each other and shrugged, following after her silently.


	14. Chapter 14

It wasn't long until Runa, Niko, and Sesshomaru lost sight of the young woman, though her tracks remained fresh in the snow for them to follow. The wind continued to blow harder as the group ventured closer to the peak of the mountain. Niko had continued holding onto Runa's hand as they walked, her palm now becoming sweaty. She wasn't sure why he was so insistent on holding onto her hand tightly. She glanced to his handsome face, staring a little too long, causing him to wink at her. Her cheeks reddened and she looked away awkwardly.

Deciding to turn around to check on Sesshomaru, she let go of his hand, stretching her palm and fingers out after being stuck in the same position so long.

"You doing okay back there Lord Sesshomaru?" she called, pausing her steps briefly. His eyes gave off a murderous stare, jolting her into turning back around quickly and resuming her climb next to the water demon.

"Something wrong?" Niko asked her innocently.

"Uhm, no, I don't think so. Sesshomaru just looks extra pissed off for some reason. I can't imagine why, considering we are almost to our destination and will hopefully get the answers we need. He's so moody," she pouted.

Niko stretched his arm out and placed it around her shoulders with a laugh,"Ah yes, who knows my dear. The angry lord doesn't really share his thoughts often does he? No matter, we are closer to our goal and hopefully shelter." He glanced back to Sesshomaru, who was still glaring daggers at the pair. Niko avoided eye contact. Though he did enjoy messing with the dog demon, he really preferred not to incite any sort of altercation while on top of a snowy, freezing, giant mountain. Pulling his arm off of Runa he gave her another smile and focused on the tracks of the young woman ahead.

After another two miles or so, they had arrived at the very top of the mountain. Though snow lay on every inch, one small part of the area jutted out into a small formation. The smooth glossy surface was shining brightly, as if the snow was simply melting off of it. The young woman peered over the the trio who had come to a stop behind her. She tapped the opaque surface of the rock face in some kind of pattern. It only took a moment before a doorway appeared, as if it had been there all along and their eyes simply hadn't seen it.

"Come," the woman said, taking a step inside.

Sesshomaru stepped in front of Niko and Runa to follow first. Though he felt no ill will, if that changed he wanted to be their first line of defense. The opening of the cave turned into a narrow pathway before opening into a larger cavern. In the center sat a wilted older woman. Her back was hunched as she sat on a small stool before a table full of what appeared to be herbs and animal bones. Her frizzy white hair went down her back and jutted out from the sides of her head in a poof. Her clothes appeared to be nothing more than a tattered dark green kimono. The young girl bowed to her lowly before disappearing into a side room.

"Well, well, well. I suppose I should be honored. The son of the great Inu no Taisho has gifted me with his presence. And not only with his own, but the adopted daughter of the great dog lord as well. And who are you boy?" she questioned, nodding her head at Niko, her head cocked to the side.

"I am the son of Nagatoki, a powerful water demon from the east. He was friends with Lord Toga, and now I have befriended his son and daughter in hopes to finish what out father's started," he explained with a slight bow to the witch.

"Ah yes, I know of him," she replied, standing with a loud crack as she popped her hunched back. The witch grabbed a cane off to her side and hobbled towards them, stopping before Sesshomaru. Only half his height, she craned her neck to look up into his passive features.

"Tell me, Lord Sesshomaru, why do you seek out this old witch. I, Asuka, have very little you could desire I imagine, and yet, you three made the journey all the way up here so it must be something of great urgency," she concluded, glancing over to Runa and stepping toward her. "I sense great sorrow in you young woman. This seems to be your story to tell, ne? Out with it then."

Runa, caught off guard, looked to Sesshomaru and then back to the old crone. "Uhm, okay. Our brother was taken. By the shadow demons that Toga and Nagatoki sealed away. They have escaped and seem to be after vengeance. Inuyasha seems to be a pawn in whatever their plans may be. We have to find him and save him. It's already been two weeks since he was taken."

Asuka looked to the three of them with a shrug, "And what do you think I can do about this?"

Sesshomaru stepped towards her, "Bokuseno told me you may have the answers we seek. We want to know how they were sealed and how to duplicate what was done before by our fathers," he glared down her, clearly annoyed at having to explain himself.

"Ah, yes. Perhaps I do know how the sealing spell works. And maybe even where these creatures gather. But why should I involve myself in an old dispute? Seems a little risky for an old woman nearing the end of her life. What's in it for me?" she asked, pacing a few feet ahead of them before turning around with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"These creatures are dangerous old woman," Niko piped up. Pointing a finger at her accusingly, "Not aiding us is akin to aiding them. You won't walk away unscathed. They are vile and will eventually affect you and yours in some manner."

The witch simply cackled at Niko.

"Enough," Sesshomaru boomed. "We will not beg you hag, either assist us or send us on our way. This Sesshomaru is in no mood for the games of a witch."

"No, Sesshomaru, wait," Runa said, her voice slightly elevated as she stepped in front of him with her hands up. She turned around to face Asuka, "Nothing comes for free does it? Stop tip toeing around it. You want something in exchange don't you?"

"Clever child," Asuka cooed, her smile opening to reveal missing and blackened teeth. "There is something that was stolen from me by the snake demons in the south. The current clan leader took it right out from under me and I want it back. Retrieve it, and I will give you all that you need to destroy the shadow demons for good."

"And what exactly are we getting back for you? We won't go in and slaughter anyone if that is what you're asking," Niko replied. Though he glanced to Sesshomaru wondering if he would actually be fine with a murderous rampage.

"An amulet. A gorgeous ruby necklace with great power. You can't miss it once you see it," she explained. She smiled once again, and turned back to Sesshomaru, "However, there is one caveat. You must get the necklace back for me without killing a single soul. No one must find out why you are really there. Steal it out from under their noses and return it to me. That is the only way this deal works. Will you be able to do that 'Killing Perfection'?" she wondered to the demon lord in front of her.

"You presume much, witch. I have yet to agree to your bargain. I will not tip toe around another's lands waiting to steal something from them like a common thief," he scowled.

"Sesshomaru!" Runa howled, "We have to do this. It's the only way to destroy these things and get Inuyasha back. It won't be too hard," the girl insisted, stepping close to his chest and putting her hands together with pleading in her eyes. "Please, you promised to help me get him back. If you want me to uphold our deal, then we will have to agree to her deal," she whispered gently, placing her hand over his heart and looking into his eyes desperately.

Sesshomaru placed his hand over hers for a brief moment before letting it drop to his side. "Hn, you are a troublesome woman, Runa. Do as you wish," he chided before turning around and starting to walk back down the narrow path to the entrance. Runa watched him go before turning back around to Asuka.

"Okay, you have a deal. We will go to the south and get this amulet for you. But once we return, you give us every bit of help we need to get Inuyasha back and destroy these things. Who exactly are we looking for in the snake territory?" she asked.

Asuka cackled with delight, winking at Niko before grabbing Runa's hand. "His name is Yoshida. He is the leader of the clan. Find him and sneak my amulet back to me. Remember, no making a scene. If they know the amulet is stolen they will just come pilfer right back. I'm sure it is hidden away, girl, so you may have to do some digging once there to find out where it is hidden. Go now, I will be waiting on your return," she finished, a long bony finger pointing to the exit Sesshomaru had just taken.

Niko gave the witch one last disgusted look before grabbing Runa's hand and pulling her behind him. Runa gave the old woman a half-hearted wave and followed behind him. The narrow path opened into the entrance of the cave, where a golden morning sunrise was peaking out over the other mountain tops. Apparently they had been in the cave over night, though it felt like hardly any time had actually passed.

Sesshomaru turned to the duo as they stepped up beside him. Without a word he grabbed Runa's hand and began the trek back down the mountainside, leaving a bewildered Niko behind them.


	15. Chapter 15

Runa had found herself in an awkward position. After Sesshomaru had practically dragged her back down the mountainside three days ago, never letting go of her hand for a moment, he had remained in a sour mood. Niko also seemed to be a bit subdued compared to his normal boisterous self. Four days of travel had gone by and both men were quiet, barely sparing her a glance. She looked to Sesshomaru who, as usual, had taken the lead of the group and was currently at least one hundred yards ahead in the field they traveled across. His silvery hair swayed in the wind, the sun shining off with an almost blinding glint. Her eyes narrowed jealously, subconsciously petting her own silken locks, which while pretty, still didn't hold a candle to the lord's hair. Sesshomaru turned his head slightly, as if sensing her eyes on him. Runa quickly averted her emerald iris's suddenly finding the tree line immensely interesting. Deciding to glance behind her she saw Niko around fifty paces back, looking downtrodden. Runa studied his hunched shoulders and empty features with sadness. She enjoyed his hilarious stories and silly pranks. The silence was so awkward, more than it had previously been, and it was driving her crazy. When they stopped for the night she would have to question them both to see what was going on. They had another few days to get to the south and she wouldn't last with this muteness.

And then the dread hit her again. The sinking feeling of abysmal fear and emptiness. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt suffocated. Runa glanced up in panic, knowing exactly what was bringing this feeling upon her. Sesshomaru was already at her side, his arm in front of her protectively while he glanced around, sweat appearing above his brows, as if he was fighting off the feeling as well. She glanced to Niko, who looked to be holding it together poorly compared to Sesshomaru.

"Where is it?" Runa questioned, eyes darting around the tree line and up ahead to the rest of the empty field. She saw nothing amiss but she knew this feeling wasn't overtaking them randomly. The Shi No Kage must be nearby.

"I do not know, but my heart feels as if it is being squeezed and will burst any moment," Niko whispered breathlessly, his hand caressing the hilt of his sword. He and Sesshomaru made eye contact, gold meeting bright blue, and both unsheathed their swords at the same time.

Without warning, their swords clashed, steel meeting with a deafening ring. Runa jumped back from them both, immediately hiking her kimono up to grab her hidden dagger. "What the fuck guys?" she yelled out, glancing at their frozen forms, swords still pushing against one another. They both grimaced as if fighting some kind of inner urge.

"Runa, run. The water imp and I seem to be under a spell of some sort, leave before we turn our swords on you," Sesshomaru gritted out. But before Runa could respond, Niko pulled back and swung low at the dog demon's legs. Sesshomaru jumped up and over the water lord, swinging back around to look at him. "GO!" he roared at Runa. But she remained frozen in place, looking back and forth between her friends, torn on what to do. She should probably listen to Sesshomaru's order but she couldn't just leave them to kill one another. Niko's eyes looked glazed over, his control fading more and more every moment.

"I can't leave you two to kill one another, Sesshomaru!" she called back to him.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed but his response was cut short when Niko rushed at him again, swinging blindly in an attempt to land any hit at all. His opponent dodged easily, but eventually his movements slowed down, and he started to run at Niko. Their swords clashed again, glinting in the sun as they performed a series of quick, sharp hits against one another's weapons. Making a split second decision Runa ran head first in between them.

"STOP! I know it's hard but fight the dark feelings boys. Come back to me and please don't kill each other first!" she yelled out desperately, her arms spread out to separate them. Suddenly, a cackling laugh was booming above them. A shadow demon had been lurking and finally decided to show itself. It appeared a few feet away from them and immediately the anger disappeared from both men's eyes. They blinked, slowly coming out of the stupor the creature had put them in.

"Even demons are not immune to our charms. Jealously," it said, nodding to Sesshomaru, "Resentment," he continued, this time nodding to Niko with it's murky, shapeless head. "Rage, anger, hate, envy, all of it belongs to us. With it I can make you dance like the stupid little puppets you are. Your fathers' may have found a way to stop us, but you never will. With them gone, no one is strong enough to defeat us," it howled with more laughter. "Weak and pathetic, both humans and demons."

"Enough of your foolish prattle," Sesshomaru responded, leaping towards it, slicing through its midsection with his sword. But nothing happened. The creature seemed wholly unaffected.

"Where is Inuyasha?" Runa shouted at the shadow, but it was already fading away, it's rumbling laughter fading with it. Her face fell in disappointment. She had hoped to at least get some sort of clue to Inuyasha's whereabouts but it seemed the creature had simply come to toy with them.

Looking to her companions she asked, "Are the two of you okay? You don't seem to have injured each other at least," she noted, sliding her small blade back onto her thigh. Smoothing her kimono out she decided to ignore their silence and ask yet another question. "So what did that thing mean by jealousy and resentment? Is there something bothering you guys? You both have been annoyingly quiet since we left Asuka's cave," she pointed out, placing her finger on her chin and letting her eyes linger on both of their's suspiciously.

Sesshomaru simply stared back apathetically, but Niko piped up right away, his hand rubbing the back of his head in an awkward gesture. "No, no, everything is fine," he said with a smile. "I think those things are just trying to fuck with our head's. I wouldn't take anything it said to heart. Except maybe the part about them being really hard to beat," he continued, his smile dropping from his face quickly.

"They will pay for their arrogance," Sesshomaru growled out, pushing his sword back in it's hilt with a loud clack. "Let us continue south. The creatures seem to be aware of part of our plans, but no matter. Their ego shall be their downfall."

"Finally, something we wholeheartedly agree on Lord Sesshomaru," Niko chimed in, stepping up beside Runa.

Sesshomaru stepped to her other side protectively, both men looking down at her expectantly. She felt trapped in between them and slightly suffocated. She was starting to wonder if the shadow demon had been right about some jealousy between the two men. Clumsily stepping out from between them, Runa started walking ahead, leaving both Sesshomaru and Niko to stare after her.

Exchanging a dirty look, they both took quick strides to catch up to her.


End file.
